Auxiliary air-supply device for internal-combustion engines



P. E. YEAGER.

AUXILIARY AIR SUPPLY DEVICE FOR INTERNAL comausnom ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11. 1918.

in its construction,

PETER E. YEAGER, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUXILIARY AIR-SUPPLY DEVICE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

Application filed September 11, 1918. Serial No. 253,580.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, PETER E. YEAGER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at" in the county of Berks andState Reading, ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and-usefulImprovements in Auxiliary Air- Supply Devices for Internal CombustionEngines, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings. 7

This invention relates to an improved auxiliary air supply device forinternal combustion engines, and has for its primary object to provide asuction controlled valve mounted in the wall of the exhaust manifoldwhich is automatically opened when the engine attains a'predeterminedspeed to admit additional atmospheric air to the manifold and therebylessen the richness of the combustible mixture.

It is also another important object of the invention to provide improvedmeans for heating the auxiliary air prior to its admission to themanifold.

The invention has for a more particular object to provide a device forthe above purpose embodying a mixer casin adapted to be mounted in themanifold wa and having a suction opened valve normally, closingcommunication between the casing and the manifold, an adjustable airinlet valve plate for regulating the admission of cold atmospheric airto the casing, an air receiving conduit secured at one of its ends uponthe exterior of the exhaust manifold and connected at its 0th r end tosaid mixer casing to supply he ted air to the latter, and means withinsaid casing for agitating and mixing the currents of cold and h air,

It is also a further general object of my invention to provide a deviceas above characterized, which is simple and durable may be readilyapplied to the ordinary internal combustion engine, and is capableoignanufacture at relatively small cost.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in theimproved construction, combination and relative arrangement of theseveral parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, subsequentlyclaimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which similarreference eated characters designate corresponding parts throughout theseveral views, and wherein Figure l is an elevation showing the intakeand exhaust manifolds of an internal combustion engine and illustratingthe preferred embodiment of my invention applied thereto. V

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the jacket or casing 26, the mixin casingand the exhaust and intake manlfolds being in section.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 desig nates the intake manifoldand6 the exhaust manifold of an internal combustion engine. The air mixercasing, designated 7, is formed at one of its ends with an exteriorlythreaded stem 8, which is adapted to be tapped into the side wall of theneck leading from the carbureter to the intake manifold proper. Thisstem at its end is formed with a valve seat 9. The casing 7 at itsopposite end is exteriorly threaded to receive a. cap 10, the body wallof which is formed with air inlet openings, designated 11, separated bya central, diametrically disposed web 12. The ends of this web arerelatively Wide, as shown at 13.

Between the body wall of the-cap 10 and the end of the casing 7, anadjustable valve .plate 14 is disposed, said valve plate being formedwith the oppositely related, arcuate' slots 15. Preferably, a packin orgasket 16 is interposed between lilie z z gusn able plate 14 and the endof the casing 7.

The internal diameter of the cas1ng 7 gradually decreases from the cap10 is applied to the stem 8 at the opposite end of said casing. A spider17 is secured within the casing 7, and in spaced relation to said spiderand in the contracted end of the casing, suitably secured, said platebeing formed with a plurality of spaced perforations 19. This plate andthe spider 17 are rovided with central openings, through wliich thevalve stem 20 is freely movable. This stem at one of its ends is formedwith a valve head 21, which is normally and yieldingly held upon theseat 9 by means of a 0011 spring 22 engaged at one of its ends around acentral boss exteriorly formed on the cap a plate 18 is arranged and theend to which and also for limited longitudinal shifting movement.

Upon the outer side wall of the exhaust manifold 6, a casing or jacket26 is engaged, the side of the jacket opposed to the manifold wall beingopen and having its upper edge sufficiently spaced from said wall topermit air to freely pass around the manlfold and into the jacketorcasing. This jacket is clamped to the manifold by means of the U-bolt,shown at 27, upon the ends of which suitable clamping nuts are threaded.The jacket is formed with a downwardly extending, tapering, tubular neck28, the end of which is exteriorly threaded and is adapted to be engagedin the threaded opening formed in the wall of the casing 7 between thespider 17 and the plate 18.

In the practical operation of the device, when the engine attains apredetermined speed, the suction in the intake manifold pulls the valve21 to an open position against the action of the spring 22 so that cold,atmospheric air will be drawn into the casing 7 through the openings 11and 15. Also, heated air will be drawn through the jacket 26 around theexhaust manifold and into said casing. These currents of cold and heatedair are agitated and thoroughly mixed by the member 25 which is causedto rapidly rotate on the valve stem by the impact of the indrawncold'air currents against the blades thereof, said member in itsrotation also shifting longitudinally on the valve stem between'thespider '17 and the adjustable valve plate 14:. By loosening the cap 10,this plate can be adjusted so as to dispose a greater or lessportion ofthe slots 15 beneath the wide ends 13' of the web 12, and thus-decreasethe volume of cold air entering the casing 7, as may be desired. Themixture of cold and heated air is finally drawn through the perforationsof the plate 18 and into the intake manifold, where it mixes with thecombustible charge. Thus, the air mixture is screened and thepossibility of particles of foreign matter entering the manifoldobviated. Thus, it will be seen that as the speed of the engineincreases,

additional auxiliary air is admitted to the manifold and the richness ofthe charge gradually decreased. By first heating the auxiliary air inthe manner explained before admission to the manifold, the possibilityof an area of relatively cold air collecting around the spark oints,which would result in misfiring, is o viated. The proper -relativeproportions of vaporized gas and air under all operating speeds of theengine is automatically accomplished by means of my invention, and theformation of carbon within-the cylinder, due to an excessively richmixture, is thus prevented.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, the construction, manner of operation and severaladvantages of the device will be clearly and fully understood. Theseveral parts of the invention are simple and durable in theirconstruction and can be readily assembled and applied to internalcombustion engines such'as are commonly employed for the propulsion ofmotor vehicles. The parts of the device can be also easily disas sembledand accessreadilyhad thereto for the purpose of cleaning the same. Ihave herein shown and described what I have found to be a very:practical embodiment of the device, but it is, of course, to beunderstood that the several elements above referred to are susceptibleof considerable modifications in their form, proportion and generalarrangement and I, accordingly, reserve the privilege of adopting allsuch legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit andscope of the in vention as claimed.

I cla1m:

1. An auxiliary air supply device for internal combustion enginesincluding. a casing adapted to be engaged in the wall of the intakemanifold of the engine, said casing-having a valve seat at one end, acap threaded upon the other end of the casing and provided with airinlet openings, an

adjustable valve plate secured, in its adjusted position by thecapagainst the end of said casing and controlling the volume of airentering the casing, said casing having a spider, a plate fixed withinthe casing in spaced relation to the spider and provided with spacedperforations, a suction opened valve centrally mounted in said spiderand the plate, and means yieldingly holding said valve in its closedposition.

2. An auxiliary air supply device for internal combustion enginesincluding a casing adapted to be engaged in the wall of the intakemanifold of an engine, said casing having a valve seat at its inner end,a suction opened valve coacting with the seat and having a stem movablethrough the casing, a spring to yieldingly hold the valve upon its seatand resisting its opening action, means on the end of the casin oppositesaid valve for regulating the supp y of atmospheric air to the caslngwhen the valve is opened,

, means for supplying heated air to the casing at a point between theair inlet'means and said valve, and a plate fixed within the casingbetween the heated air supplying means and the valve having relatively;small perforations whereby to retard the inward the atmosregulating thesupply of atmospheric air to the casing when said valve is open, meansfor supplying heated air to said casing, and a multi-bladed mixingmember mounted upon the valve stem within the casing and rotatableindependently of the stem to mix the cold and heated atmospheric airprior to its admission to the manifold.

4. An auxiliary air supply device for in ternal combustion enginesincluding a casing mounted at one end for connection to the intakemanifold of an engine, said end of the casingbeing formed with a Valveseat, a suction opened valve having a stem movable through the casing, aspring yieldingly holding the valve upon its seat, means on the oppositeend of the casing for regulating the supply of atmospheric air to thecasing when said. valve 18 open, means for supplying heated air to saidcasing, and a multi-bladed mixing membermounted upon the valve stemwithin the casing and rotatable and longitudinally shiftableindependently of thestem to mix the cold and heated atmospheric airprior to its admission to the manifold.

' 5. An auxiliary air supply device for internal combustion enginesincluding a cas-= ing adapted at one end for insertion into the intakemanifold of an engine, this end of the casing being formed with a valveseat, the opposite end of the casing being open, a suction operatedvalve coacting with the seat and having a stem movable through thecasing, a detachable cap extending over the outer end of the casing andthrough which said stem passes, a spring surrounding the stem andbearing against the cap, tension adjusting nuts mounted on the stem andengaging said spring, a perforated plate disposed between said cap andthe extremity of the casing, the cap having perforations coinciding withthe perforations of the plate, andsaid plate being shift-able vto adjustits perforations relative to the cap, the cap holding said plate in itsadjusted positions.

6. An auxiliary air device for internal combustion engines including acasing adapted at one end for engagement in the wall of an intakemanifold and provided with a suction operated inlet valve at that end,means at the opposite end of the easing for admitting atmospheric air inregulatable quantities, a plate having relatively small perforationsdisposed adjacent the inner end of thecasing, and an air heaterincluding a member adapted to fit over the exhaust pipe of an engine andhaving an air inlet opening at this end, said member being extended toform a tubular pas sageway entering the casing at a point between theair inlet end of the casing and said perforated plate.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of awitness.

PETER E. YEAGER. Witness:

M. C. LYDDANE.

